In 2022, this dropped by around 30 per cent; and in 2024, Ukraine’s GDP is still only estimated to be around 78 per cent of its pre-war levels, according to Ukraine’s Centre for Economic Strategy (CES).
Russia currently occupies around 111,339 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, according to The Institute for War (ISW) as of 19 February this year, while Ukrainian forces have liberated an estimated 71,938 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory since the conflict began.
However, most refugees who return to Ukraine intend to stay for just a few weeks, with just 7 per cent intending to return permanently in 2024, down from 19 per cent in 2023.
“We must not forget, that the war still continues every single day, with large-scale attacks, more killings of civilians, destruction of homes and critical infrastructure and new displacement happening,” Elisabeth Haslund, UNHCR representative for Ukraine, told The Independent.
“After three years of full-scale invasion, and 11 years since the war began in the east, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine is dire.
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